Unofficial news and tips about Google

July 14, 2010

Install Google Web Apps in Google Chrome

If you use Google Chrome Dev Channel or a recent Chromium build, you can install 3 Google apps: Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs.

"An installed web app could be separated visually from other tabs, could integrate better with the OS, and could be granted increased permissions. Installing a web app in Google Chrome is easy and quick, with no restart required. At its simplest, installing a web app is like creating a super-bookmark to it," explains Google.

To install a web app, you need to write a small Chrome extension that includes one or more icons, the URLs used by the applications and the permissions that are required.

Chrome already includes extensions for 3 popular Google services and here's how to add them:

1. Make sure you use Chrome Dev Channel 6 or a recent Chromium build.

2. Edit Chrome's desktop shortcut and add a command-line flag. In Windows, right-click on the shortcut, select "Properties", append a space followed by --enable-apps in the Target field and restart Chrome.

3. Open Chrome, go to chrome://extensions and click on "Developer mode".

4. Click on "load unpacked extension" and navigate to Chrome's resources folder. Here's the location of the folder in Windows:

5. Click on one of the three folders: gmail_app, calendar_app, docs_app and repeat the steps 4-5 for the other two folders.

6. To add the applications to the tabstrip, you need to click on the icons from the new tab page.

Web apps are added to the new tab page, they use special pinned tabs that no longer include the Omnibox and the Gmail app has an option for desktop notifications, which doesn't seem to be enabled.

"Once installed, a web app gets a big icon in Google Chrome's app launcher area, as well as some integration with the host OS. When running, an installed web app has a special frame and other UI enhancements to make the web app easier to distinguish from other web content. This special treatment makes running apps easier to find and prevents accidentally opening multiple copies of them."

Google will launch a Chrome Web Store for web apps, where you'll be able to find an install other applications. Until then, you can create extensions for your favorite web apps.

Any way to get these to open pinned on Chrome startup? I've tried pinning them and setting my startup option to "open the following pages" with the pinned tabs and other tabs listed. However, they open unpinned (normal tabs) at next startup.

@Brozufil are you sure you got a dev build?It's really easy to make some more, I made them for facebook, twitter and another client I use for twitter, seesmic: http://vlad.nastasiu.com/post/812682214/chrome-os-like-extensions

Pretty awesome. I definitely love the new tab icons and removal of the toolbar. It might be nice, however, if a simple alt+d could bring it down . . . now if they'd just bring back phantom tabs as well!

I suggest some improvement of GMail Web App. At first sight you can not see (if GMail tab is not active) if you have any unread mails waiting to be read. So my suggestion is to change icon of red M to something like blue M, if you have any unread mails.Second thing, you can not see (if GMail tab is not active) if there is someone want to chat with you. So I suggest to do some significant animation around red/blue M icon.

I like it in theory, but I'm not so sure on how it's currently implemented. I hope they bring back "application shortcuts" as I would, and do, currently use this feature allot more than the new application tabs. Not sure about how they've implemented them in the "start" page as well. Looks a bit messy, I like my recently opened pages at the top! Good to see innovation though, keep up the good work Google!

@Hedaru. I just tried --enable-phantom-tabs (as well as -enable-phantom-tabs) and it didn't work (at least not with --enable-apps). I'm pretty sure that's because phantom tabs have been (at least temporarily) discontinued: http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=46852

@Cougar Abogado - oh, sorry. But even I'm not using the phantom tabs again, the apps-tab still appeared. [Tested with reopening the Chrome a couple times]. Against Brozufil's problem. Maybe there's something wrong with his Chrome's data.

I'm on Windows XP and I can't get this to work at all. I've got --enable-apps after the target, and all three apps are unpacked into extensions, but whenever I start Chrome, I just get the normal screen.

@benci007. I could have misunderstood Alex, but when he said, "If you use Google Chrome Dev Channel or a recent Chromium build, you can install 3 Google apps . . ." I think he implied that it won't work on either the beta or stable channel.

How are we supposed to run this on osx, because when I try to open Google Chrome with --enable-apps, it crashes with;[0715/105208:FATAL:/b/slave/chrome-official-mac/build/src/base/mac_util.mm(119)] Check failed: bundle. Failed to load the bundle at /Applications/Google Chrome Dev.app/Contents/MacOS/Versions/6.0.458.1/Google Chrome Framework.framework

Mac users, here are some links to help you get started if you're not as familiar with command line args in the Mac world.

Main guide linkhttp://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/weekend_project_install_google_web_apps_in_chrome_or_chromium.php

In Step 2 above, you are provided a solution to run Chrome using a command prompt. Not sure about you but I prefer my day to day routine of clicking on the Chrome icon from the dock (or better yet the app auto started on startup).

If so, check out the link below. Warning: this may have some side effects as the author points out but none as far as I can see for the casual everyday user.http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20100331014010995

In Step 3 above, in Mac OSX you need to navigate to Applications. From there find "Google Chrome", right click and choose "Show Package Contents". The app folders are located in "Resources\gmail_app" and so on. Since you won't be able to access this folder when installing from the Chrome browser you need to copy these folders to another location that is accessible. I recommend "\Library\Application Support\Google\Chrome\". Create a Resources folder and throw the web app folders in there. You can then access and install these "unpacked extensions".

If anyone is having issues enabling the proper flag, or wants a quick way to do it: I made an applescript application to enable the flag and launch chrome; Just double click the app and its done. Download it here: http://is.gd/dDDM6

@wolfyou can either do it through command line with "open /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app --args -enable-apps"

or following the directions on this link - http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20100331014010995

@NathanI had to disable speed dial (awesome extension btw) in order to see the apps in the new tab page. once i got the apps installed and pinned to my liking i then enabled speed dial again. i'm guessing you have speed dial or a similar extension which overrides the default new tab page. give it a shot.

I see one down side so far but maybe it will be fixed once the Web Apps are made a permanent part of Google Chrome. With each upgrade to Google Chrome you have to reload the Web Apps and add the --enable-app code to the short cut. Also having to re-edit the manifest for each upgrade also hurts (I edit each web app to reflect my Google App needs.)

I'm running Chrome Dev and Canary builds and though apps install, they just act as normal pinned tabs with better icons. I still have the omnibox and the tabs look the same. I've tried it on several updates already, but it just isn't working right. Does anyone know how to make it work? Like I said, they install just fine, so it must be some kind of a glitch.

I have tried loading it using XP. It gives me an extension error:could not load extension. Apps are not enabled. I keep checking my Target field in shortcuts and I typed --enable-apps. It's still not loading them

I was able to edit the manifest file so now GAFYAD works now. On a different note, I notice the apps are not opening like they did on the previous version of chrome. Like the previous guy said, tabstrips. It worked last week I swear.

I had the same question. See this post: <a href="http://news.softpedia.com/news/How-to-Enable-the-Default-Web-Apps-in-Google-Chrome-Now-160827.shtml>http://news.softpedia.com/news/How-to-Enable-the-Default-Web-Apps-in-Google-Chrome-Now-160827.shtml</a>

I found it pretty explanatory.

On the other hand, at the end of the day, I think the current default apps are essentially pinned tabs with big icons on the new tab page . . .

I hope that will change back to actual "app tab" functionality, when the web store opens (or sooner).